Alison's Predictions, a Year End Re-cap, and other musings...

For some reason, my dear friend Alison has always been eerily accurate with my weight related matters. I am a large person, if you have not yet surmised, yet Alison can tell the difference between a 3 lb loss and a 5 lb loss with me. For a while, I didn't have a scale, and I would just ask Alison to let me know weekly how much I had lost, and she was always right! By the time I got to a scale, I would confirm that she was correct. Perhaps Alison should leave her career as a recruiter and join the circus to guess people's age and weight. There may just be a future for her in that...

If you are a Phatband Phollower, and of course you are, you will recall that Alison (and Stephanie) won the original prediction contest (prizes pending) regarding the amount of weight I would lose in my pre-op liquid diet month. Alison also suggested at that time, that by the end of the year, I would be down 75-80 lbs. With one day left in the year, I'm now down 2 more lbs to a total of 74 lbs. I may or may not lose that additional 1-6 lbs between today and tomorrow, but either way, that is pretty close!

One of the presents I got for D this year was a trip to Key West (and Ft. Lauderdale and South Beach). We celebrated my 30th birthday there in September '06, and we had a blast. I'm looking forward to seeing the difference that 75-80 lbs makes for walking around, etc, on vacation. I signed us up for a snorkeling adventure that I never would have attempted with 75 more lbs of me, so this is exciting! I made sure every place we stayed had lots of fun active things to do, which was not a priority for me during our last trip. ;-)

I know I have so much more to lose, but this first 74 lbs has made me feel human again. I don't have to plan my life around my weight, and that change is profound. I used to be afraid of going to unknown restaurants because what if the booths were too restrictive, I didn't want to make plans to go shopping (still don't because I h8 shopping) or to museums because my back hurt from walking or standing for more than a minute (no exaggeration). At work, at some facilities I have to walk long distances between meetings, and I had to make sure I gave myself enough time between meetings to find a place to rest my back without walking the entire distance straight through. I had a back injury from a car accident that never healed properly, and the extra weight just made it impossible to do the most basic things in life.

My restrictions and my weight gain fueled each other, and the more my back hurt, the less I could move, and the more I gained, and the even less I could move, and so on. The cycle was never ending until now. The cycle has ended. A little while ago, I got separated from my friends at church and I didn't have my cell phone on me, so I walked home 3-4 miles, uphill at least 75% of the way. I *never* would have been able to do that before.

This is the last day of the phattest year of my life. Tomorrow, I have no resolutions (other than to be better about carrying my cell phone), as the changes I want to make in my life are already underway. I'm hoping/planning this next year, and the years to follow will be the healthiest years of my life.

Enjoy the end of 2007, and I'll chat with you all in 2008!

KC

Beef Welling-Yum!

Christmas dinner was delicious, I must say. It bothered me a little bit because it was richer than what I'm used to now, but it sure was good! I definitely need a fill, as I had no problem eating an 8oz fillet, asparagus and potatoes. Whatever damage I may have done on Christmas or Christmas Eve, however, is all forgotten, as my bronchitis has turned into pneumonia, and I have a bit of a stomach bug on top. I weighed myself this morning (as any dieter would do after a flu), and I was still down 72. I bet that wouldn't have been the case yesterday morning. ;-)

Be well!

KC

Not much going on...

Hello,

I know it's been a few days since I wrote so I thought I would check in, but not much is new over here! The holiday season isn't very difficult for me because I do not give into temptations for sweets, but I think just having a break from my routine is the challenging part... Too many days off in a row feel like weekend days, which starts to feel like a vacation, which makes me think I don't have to be as good as I usually am. I had popcorn last night (not reduced fat) and a half of a salami sub. I wouldn't normally eat those things. I also had a half of a piece of lemon bread, but in my defense, I made 12 loaves, and I wasn't going to give them out without trying it first!

Today is another day of baking - I'm making a cheesecake, mint brownies (Dorandi family tradition), and mincemeat fold overs (Carroll family tradition). Tomorrow night, we are having an Italian Christmas Eve at our house. Ravioli's, meatballs, braciole, an anchovy pasta dish that Dennis is making, and roast beef. They don't even usually serve potatoes with the roast beef - they have it with the pasta and red sauce. Whaaaaaaaat? This little Irish girl is definitely making potatoes and gravy as a side. Meat is pointless without a potato product! ;-)

I bought this Stonewall Kitchen Wasabe & Horseradish spread that I want to use as a base for a roasted garlic crust for the roast. The little Italian girl is horrified at this concept, however, because how is that going to go with ravioli's? (The little Irish girl is wondering how any roast beef goes with ravioli's to begin with...) So apparently, I'm making a roast, half crusted and half plain.

Christmas day shouldn't be as much of a challenge. I'm making Beef Wellington, but I couldn't bring myself to use pate because of the whole cruelty to animals thing, so I'm using pesto instead, and I think it's going to be fabulous! I was going to make twice baked potatoes as well, but we are visiting my grandmother for brunch on Christmas morning, and I'm doing the cooking for that as well, so I don't want to have to rush around so much that I don't enjoy the day. Instead, I will just make the filling to twice baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream, and I may bake the mashed potatoes in the oven briefly to give it that crisp texture on top. Other than that, we're having asparagus with Bearnaise sauce, corn, bread...and that's really it. I don't think the menu will be very challenging, but I do think it will be delicious!

I haven't gained any weight since I last wrote, and I haven't lost any either. My appetite is definitely bigger than it was before, and I'm looking forward to my fill on 1/2. If I can make it to then without gaining any weight, I'll be happy. If I lose more on top of it, even better.

Happy Holidays!

KC

No fill for you

I have been sick this week, so I had to reschedule my fill for 1/2. They like you to be healthy when you have a fill because for several days after, all you can have are liquids and mushies, and it's not always the best time to fight off an illness. It's a bummer, but I'll make it. I haven't lost anything since last Friday, and I may not lose anything else until I get a fill, but we will soon find out.

I'm not as hungry this week as I was last week, and I've been staying between 1000 - 1300 calories per day. I'm not burning as many calories as I normally do either because I've just been sitting in front of the TV each night. This sickness is cramping my style, but I see my MD today, so hopefully that will get me on the road to recovery.

I was looking forward to being freshly filled before the holidays, but I'll be fine without it. I'm lucky that sweets aren't a big thing for me, because this is the season for sweets!

Have a great day!

KC

Finally!

The scale moved, and I lost 2 more lbs. Now I'm at 72, and that much closer to 75! I would love to get to 75 by Christmas - what a nice gift to self! I don't want to jinx it though... :) For the past two months, I have averaged a 2.8 lb loss per week, which is still above the 1-2 recommended, but it's certainly still within a healthy range.

I have a fill on Monday, just in time for the holidays, and I see my nutritionist on Wednesday. I can't believe how fast time is flying! I'm relieved knowing I'm going into this holiday week with a fill, and even though I'll be on solids by the weekend, I'll only be able to eat very small portions. I should get a fill before every holiday! :)

Have a great weekend!

KC

More Tales from the Scale

I haven't lost anything since I got down to 70 over a week ago! I know it's because I've finally been able to eat the amounts I was supposed to be eating all along, but this is the longest I have gone without a loss. 8 days...

Thankfully, I have my next fill on Monday, and I think that will be a great help, but I would really like to lose something between now and then.

I meet with my nutritionist on Tuesday, so then we can talk about a new amount of calories that I should be taking in each day. I'm going to guess 1200-1400, but we will see!

In the mean time, I am still logging everything I eat on fitday.com.

Last night, I ordered a grilled chicken salad for dinner, and I was able to eat the whole thing! I never would have been able to eat even half of it recently. I think six weeks between fills is too long. Other MDs give fills every 2 weeks. I know my MD is more concerned about keeping me healthy than a rapid weight loss, but right now, it just seems like too much time has passed.

I can't believe there are only 9 shopping days until Christmas!!

Have a great day!

KC

Phatso

I am 5 weeks out from my first fill, and I'm getting hungrier by the minute. The MD warned me that weeks five and six are always tough, and by the time I get my next fill, I would be *very* ready for it. He was right! I have had no problem hitting the calorie intake I never could before. The last five days, I have eaten between 1500-1700 (supposed to be 1600) each day.

I know that is what I am supposed to be eating for now, technically, but because I was used to eating more like 800-1200 (and often 600), I'm not losing now. My body just needs to get adjusted to this new calorie intake, and by the time it does, I will be having my next fill and back on liquids! :)

D and I were really hungry this morning, and we stopped at Burger King on our way to work. I very rarely eat fast food because it's a waste of calories, and not to mention unhealthy, but I did, and my breakfast was 838 calories! I will have to really watch what I have for lunch and dinner!

***
As you may have seen on the news, last week a tractor trailer exploded in Everette, destroying several cars and 3 apartment buildings. One of the families affected by this tragedy works at one of the hospitals in the system I work for. Since D and I have two homes, we decided to donate the use of the one closest to Boston to this family. I don't share this to pat ourselves on the back - I share this because I had a really interesting experience preparing the house for their arrival.

My boss allowed me to take Friday as a "free" day off to prepare my home, as I only learned Thursday night that they would be moving in on Sunday! We had not stayed in that house in several weeks. Not only did the entire house need to be thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom, D and I needed to sort through all of our things to decide what to leave, what to move to NH, what to donate and what to dispose of.

When we moved to NH, we each brought a carry-on bag of clothing, and that was IT! Everything we own was in this house, so we basically had two days to prepare to move, and also to clean the entire house, and Darcy had to work on Friday, so one of the two days was just me.

I have never been a lazy person, but when you are so completely out of shape, you just can't do that much. Backs hurt, knees ache, etc... Before I started losing weight, if I had a lot of housework to do, I would do it in shifts. I could never do as much as I wanted to. On Friday and Saturday, I was on my feet non stop: lifting things, getting on my hands and knees to clean, running up and down stairs over and over - each day was 10-12 hours of physical labor, and I accomplished a TON! I didn't even know I would physically be able to do all that I did until I actually did it!

70 lbs is a lot of weight to lose, but I still have so much more to lose...I had such ease in getting everything done...I can't imagine how it will get any better when I lose more, but I'm anxious to see! If the next 70 I lose has as dramatic of an impact on me as the first 70, I pity the people around me. I think I will be out of control.

We have such a feeling of accomplishment, and when this family moves on, the house will be ready to sell, and we'll only need to pack up dishes, etc, and decorations. That's the easy part...Let's just hope the market picks up between now and then!

Have a great day!

KC

Seventy!

For some reason, my scale worked this morning, and I found out that I lost 70 lbs! Right on!

Yesterday, I ate more than I normally would because I was a bit snowed in and it seemed like the thing to do, so it only figures that I had a 2 lb loss today. It's funny how that happens, but I'm not complaining! :)

I'm hoping to hit 75 within the next two weeks, which is my second milestone.

Today is my 2 month anniversary of the surgery (ish) and 3 month anniversary of the liquid diet: 70 lbs in 3 months is more than I could have hoped for. I'm thrilled with the decision I made to take control of my life and weight loss, and I am excited for the months and years to come.

Have a great day all!

KC

Tales from the Scale

Unfortunately, my scale needs a new battery, and it's a lithium watch type battery, which I don't have hanging around the house, and I haven't been able to weigh myself for two days now.

The last time I weighed myself was Saturday morning, and I was down 1 more lb to 68, so that is a good thing, but I would really like to know if I have lost any more!

I still am not eating the amount I am supposed to, but I must say - this whole thing is much easier than I had ever thought it would be. One of my biggest problems with diets in the past was if I ate something I wasn't "supposed" to, it would send me down a spiral of failure and I would ultimately end up going off my diet.

With the lap band, I feel like I don't have a choice - I'm going to lose weight, and I'm going to stay on track. There are no foods I'm not supposed to have. In general, I make very healthy choices, but yesterday I decided to have half a piece of apple pie, and I don't feel at all guilty about that. When I observe the eating habits of healthy people, it's not that they never have anything bad, but they certainly don't feel the need to consume everything in sight because of their guilt over a few pieces of pizza they had.

Anyway, I guess that guilt is gone for me. It's probably because I know that with my hunger in check, I can make the right choices. When I have something that it's healthy, it's because I'm having a treat, not falling off the wagon.

This is an interesting little journey....

:)

KC